About 80 youth on confidential registry

Mar. 24, 2012

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State law requires Greene County to maintain a registry of juveniles who have committed the most serious sex offenses.

But unlike the adult registry, it’s not accessible to the public.

“Its purpose is being able to track juveniles that have committed felony-level offenses,” said Dustin Hathcock, a deputy juvenile officer with Greene County. “And when I say track, I mean it’s used by law enforcement.”

Earlier this year, the juvenile sex offender registry included about 80 names.

The individuals on it were “adjudicated” — similar to conviction in an adult court — of a sex-related offense such as rape, forcible sodomy, child molestation or sexual abuse.

Bill Prince, senior legal counsel for the Greene County Juvenile Office, said the registry includes detailed contact information, Social Security number, photo, fingerprints and details about the offense, including the age and gender of the victim.

Offenders must also disclose what school they attend and where they work.

“It’s to keep an eye on these guys so we know they’re around,” he said.

Under state law, a juvenile that moves into Greene County must register within three days. Those who move must file an address change and comply with the registration requirements elsewhere.

Some states make the juvenile registry available to the public or require the offender to register for life. In Missouri, juveniles remain on the list until they turn 21.

“Every state has their own registration requirements and it doesn’t matter where you’re adjudicated, it matters where you reside,” Hathcock said. “If you move, you have to adopt the (state’s) registration requirements, even if it means a public registry.”

In this state, juvenile registries are maintained at the local level and not connected to a central registry.

Greene County stores its confidential list in a file cabinet located in the corner of a secured office.

Hathcock said the registry is valuable to law enforcement officers and provides critical information for juvenile court systems trying to determine the safest placement for a juvenile.

“It helps us out in our decision-making,” he said.

Through the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, there are rare cases when a juvenile must register for life. In those cases, the information is available to the public.

A juvenile, age 14 or older, who is adjudicated of an “aggravated” offense — meaning violence was involved — or the victim was younger than 12 can trigger the federal requirement to register as an adult for life.

“We haven’t had any register as a lifetime registration,” Prince said.